Senior Project Engineer Austin

TAR; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

TAR is building islanded microgrids powering AI data centers in West Texas. As Senior Project Engineer you own the on-site technical execution, translating designs into procurement, construction, commissioning and energization to commercial operation.

You coordinate engineers, EPCs, OEMs and owner’s engineers, manage scope, schedule and quality, and serve as the owner-side technical authority on site. This role requires on-site presence in West Texas, fast-paced delivery and strong safety

Qualifications

• 7+ years delivering utility-scale solar, BESS, power-generation, or large infrastructure projects.
• Hands-on ownership of construction and commissioning through COD on at least one project.
• Able to read and hold parties to EPC contracts, equipment specs, study reports, and IFC drawings.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical arc of the deployment from early design through commissioning and commercial operation.
• Lead coordination of the 30%, 60%, 90%, and IFC engineering packages across internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop technical scopes of work and deliverables/RACI matrices for LNTP, EPC, and owner’s engineering efforts.
• Develop and maintain the project design basis, standard specifications, and a lessons-learned repository.
• Support major equipment selection and specification for BESS, PV inverters, MV switchgear, and balance of plant; review vendor proposals and support contract execution for third-party engineering scopes.
• Review project estimates against the design basis and flag misalignments before they become change orders.
• Support technical due diligence with Independent Engineers for project financing; provide technical guidance for legal and commercial decision-making.
• Drive the islanded commissioning and energization sequence with the engineering team and OEMs.
• Manage and hold the Engineer of Record and EPC to scope, schedule, and quality; review EPC contracts, equipment specs, studies, and IFC drawings.
• Coordinate procurement logistics and on-site sequencing across inverter skids, BESS, MV switchgear, and balance of plant.
• Track and recover schedule against COD; surface risk early and drive it to resolution.
• Run field troubleshooting and bring-up at the pilot and across the program.
• Enforce site safety and quality throughout construction and commissioning.

Skills

Project leadership

Stakeholder coordination

Schedule management

Field execution

Education

BS in Electrical Eng

Job description

TAR builds fully islanded, behind-the-meter microgrids (solar, BESS, and gas peakers) powering AI data centers in West Texas at record speed. As Senior Project Engineer, you own the technical execution of our deployments in the field. You take the design from the engineering team and drive it through procurement coordination, construction, commissioning, and energization to commercial operation. You are the owner-side technical authority on site, interfacing the Engineer of Record, the EPC, and OEM vendors, and holding scope, schedule, and quality. You report to the Project Director and own the answer to whether the plant is getting built right, and on time.

This is the execution seat. The engineering team sets the design and control architecture; you make it real on the ground, under aggressive timelines, on a continuous high-density IT load with no utility behind it.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical arc of the deployment from early design through commissioning and commercial operation.
• Lead coordination of the 30%, 60%, 90%, and IFC engineering packages across internal and external stakeholders — engineering firms, OEMs, offtaker, and owner’s engineers.
• Develop technical scopes of work and deliverables/RACI matrices (including reusable templates) for LNTP, EPC, and owner’s engineering efforts.
• Develop and maintain the project design basis, standard specifications, and a lessons-learned repository that carries forward into every subsequent deployment.
• Support major equipment selection and specification for BESS, PV inverters, MV switchgear, and balance of plant; review vendor proposals and support contract execution for third-party engineering scopes.
• Review project estimates against the design basis and flag misalignments before they become change orders.
• Support technical due diligence with Independent Engineers for project financing; provide technical guidance for legal and commercial decision-making.
• Drive the islanded commissioning and energization sequence (BESS-first grid-forming bring-up, FAT/SAT, site energization, acceptance testing) with the engineering team and OEMs.
• Manage and hold the Engineer of Record and EPC to scope, schedule, and quality; review EPC contracts, equipment specs, studies, and IFC drawings.
• Coordinate procurement logistics and on-site sequencing across inverter skids, BESS, MV switchgear, and balance of plant.
• Track and recover schedule against COD; surface risk early and drive it to resolution.
• Run field troubleshooting and bring-up at the pilot and across the program.
• Enforce site safety and quality throughout construction and commissioning.

Qualifications

• BS in electrical, mechanical, or related engineering, or equivalent field experience.
• 7+ years delivering utility-scale solar, BESS, power-generation, or large infrastructure projects.
• Hands-on ownership of construction and commissioning through COD on at least one project.
• Able to read and hold parties to EPC contracts, equipment specs, study reports, and IFC drawings.
• Understanding of NEC, NESC, IEEE and NFPA standards as they relate to PV, BESS and MV/HV engineering
• Exposure to MV and HV substation engineering
• Strong schedule, scope, and milestone management under aggressive timelines.
• Willing to be on-site in West Texas as deployments require.
• Extreme attention to detail with a bias for speed and rapid iteration.

Nice to have

• Direct solar+BESS or microgrid commissioning experience.
• Islanded, off-grid, or BTM experience.
• ERCOT / Texas project experience.
• Owner’s-side experience managing an EOR/EPC as agent.
• Familiarity with grid-forming BESS bring-up and protection under islanded conditions.
• Test-like-you-fly culture (Tesla Energy, SpaceX, or comparable).